Category Archives: Valentine

It’s no secret… we heart our readers! If you guys only knew how many text messages, emails, or chats are centered around how AMAZING you guys are… you’d probably be surprised. We get a random email from a new reader, a comment that brightens our day, or we see our projects being re-pinned or even re-created, you can bet later that day one of us will get a text from the other that says something like…. “you see that reader email? How amazing is she!?” or “OMG, you see that new comment? That made my day!” or even “OMGGG, I love our readers!! =) How lucky are we?!”.

Bottom line: You guys are the B.E.S.T so THANK YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you, one million times over… thank you! Thanks for supporting us in this crazy adventure and making us feel a little less coo-coo for spending our free time DIY-ing & bloggin’ about it.

To spread the LOVE to all of you this Valentine’s Day, we are giving away a $50 HomeGoods gift card. But before we get to the good stuff, we want to inspire you with ONE LAST look at our Valentine’s DIY… it’s not too late!

Now…before you run off to tackle one of our Valentine’s Day projects…enter to win that $50 HomeGoods gift card. First, sign up via Rafflecopter and follow the instructions. It will direct you to comment on our blog and we want to know…what are you LOVING this Valentine’s Day? It could be a favorite food, home decor trend, your dog, your mom, your +1, anything! Let’s spread the love here people!

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the DIY Playbook is turning up the heat on red, pink and gold inspired crafts that can add a v-day hint to your home OR be perfect gifts for your friends, co-workers, neighbors, or favorite family members.

First up, these fun tribal coasters. Because our scrabble coasters were such a big hit, we thought why not inspire our readers to replace those coasters with a little February spirit?

These lovely coasters are the perfect addition to your coffee table, nightstand, desk at home or work, or festive bar cart. We tried our hand at a cupid-meets-tribal inspired pattern, but you really can make your set of coasters to fit your valentine’s day needs. (names, hearts, polka dots, love is quotes, initials…)

Speaking from the perspective of having absolutely NO artistic talent, this pattern looks faaaaarrrrrr harder than it actually is. You don’t need to be at all “artistic” to make these coasters. With a ruler, we drew 3 or 4 vertical lines across the tile. Then, without the ruler, we made little lines that zig-zagged through the other lines. Here’s a sloppy version of the steps:

After that, we colored in random boxes throughout the pattern. No rhyme or reason to the coloring, it was all very random. As you can tell, ours are neither perfectly aligned nor perfectly straight and that’s okay. When you try and tackle all of these lines to create the desired pattern… don’t be hard on yourself. The imperfections make it unique to you and that’s what makes this project fun!

Then we colored the border of the tile, baked the squares according to the marker’s instructions, let ’em cool, slapped the felt pieces on each, poured ourselves a drink & cheers-ed to our lovely new coasters!

And the extra coasters we created? We stacked these darling squares and wrapped them in a festive ribbon. We hope to give this adorable “package” as a valentine to someone who will LOVE them just as much as we do. (Sneak Peek: tune in tomorrow to get the story about the gold & glitter dipped feathers)

We especially love the extra pop of color that the border provides when the tiles are stacked.

And there you have it…. ten cent tiles that quickly turned into trendy coasters that you can’t help but L.O.V.E! In honor of these coasters, let’s all cheers to kickin’ off a week of Valentine’s Projects in style. See you tomorrow….

P.S. Speaking of LOVE. We would like to send our LOVE & a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Casey’s mom…the Janimal! We wish her a perfect day and the start of an unforgettable year. She deserves nothing but the very, very best. Cheers!

Welcome to the DIY Playbook! Thanks so much for stopping by; we’re so glad you’re here! If you’re searching for big league decorating dreams on a rookie salary…. we have your back! Today’s XO blocks are just the first of many vday craft ideas this lovely season. To stay up-to-date with DIY Playbook’s rookie DIY, make sure to follow us on Bloglovin’, Facebook, or Pinterest. Enjoy & thanks again for stopping by! Xo, Bridget & Casey (best friends & DIY Rookies)

Can you believe it’s almost February?! As in almost time to celebrate Cupid’s claim to fame? Although Casey and I aren’t head over heels obsessed with Valentine’s Day, we ARE pretty excited to turn up the heat and celebrate love for the next two weeks. We have two amazing +1’s, and we also have amazing families, wonderful friends, supportive DIY Playbook fans, and a whole lot of love surrounding us each and everyday. For ALL of that, we’re beyond thankful and excited to celebrate 02-14-14. To kick it off….

… an XOXO project that can have two different outcomes. Whether you use the final product as a wreath or as shelf decor, you’ll start with the same supplies.

Either way you will need:

-Cardboard Letters (XOXO)

-Acrylic Paint

-Mini Paintbrush or sponge brush

-Multi color yarn

-Hot glue gun

-Ribbon

-Washi tape

-Embellishments (button/broach)

You can paint your cardboard letters any color you want. To try my hand at a non-traditional Valentine’s day color scheme, I went with….

Aqua Blue!

After the XO’s were painted, it was time to dress them up. (My favorite part!) The embellishment is totally up to you and can look very different depending on what materials you have. I used yarn, a button, an old broach, washi tape, and some old string, but you should use what you have around.

I started with the multi colored yarn. I hot glued the yarn on the back of the letters and started to wrap it tightly around and around the letter.

After quite a bit of wrapping, I added more hot glue on the back of the letter and glued down the piece of yarn to conclude that “section” of yarn.

I repeated that process on each of the letters, switching off where I put the yarn on each of the letters. I also used the hot glue gun to glue down some extra embellishments (like the button) and other types of string/washi tape.

My XO’s ended up looking like this.

You could call it quits there and style or “stage” them as bookshelf decor… kinda like this:

Ooorrrr… you can take it a step further. I took it one step further and hot glued these letters to a long burlap ribbon to create an XOXO wreath. Kinda like this…

This light weight wreath is unique, colorful and welcomes all of our guests with a warm x and o.

I love the wreath and especially love the happy POP of blue and orange on the clean white door. It seems festive without screaming…. I’M A TYPICAL VALENTINE’S DAY DECORATION DRIPPING IN HEARTS & PINK LEOPARD PRINT.

Whether you use these X & O’s as tabletop decor or a hanging wreath, all this DIY takes is a coat of paint and a little creativity with colorful embellishments. In no time, your home will be ready to greet February with a big hug and kiss!!

Planning a romantic Valentine’s day date can be intimidating for most couples.There is always so much pressure to pick the perfect restaurant, get the right gifts, and have a romantic evening. I’m all about planning dates that are a little out of the ordinary, so I typically forgo the restaurant scene.

Making reservations isn’t exactly rocket science, and it can be expensive to wine and dine your beau by taking them out on the town. That’s why I think a romantic night at home is your best bet for Valentine’s Day.

Here is a fun dinner/date option, that puts a creative twist on staying in with your sweetie.

“Fondue for Two”*For all you Gleeks out there, here is a little “Fondue for Two” action to really get you in the fondue mood 😉Okay, so we all know eating a heavy and greasy meal isn’t exactly the sexiest way to start off your evening. So have a fondue night instead. It’s very simple, so you won’t be slaving away in the kitchen all night. And it’s the perfect mix of savory and sweet, so you’ll end the night satisfied.

For Dipping:-Veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower-Tortilla chips or pretzels-Pita bread-Crusty bread like rye, french, or sourdoughHere are our dippers…

Directions:Combine cheese in a bowl with the flour. Add beer to a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the head to simmer and add cheese in handfuls. Stir constantly until cheese is melted with a wooden spoon. When the cheese is melted, stir in mustard, hot sauce, pepper, and worcestershire sauce. Transfer fondue to a warm fondue pot.

Finn & I decided to test the cheese part of this fondue date…and man did we have a good time!

But…word of advice don’t eat the entire pot of fondue. This pot serves 4, and we somehow managed to eat every.last.bite. #tummyache

We were way too full to indulge in the chocolate fondue portion of the evening, but give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes!

I find that many new DIY recruits don’t exactly know where to start when it comes to kicking off their DIY career. If this is you, I recommend starting with a DIY wreath. Wreaths aren’t too hard, they don’t demand a ton of supplies, they have loads of potential, once you get the hang of them you can create one for each season/holiday and feel really creative, and who doesn’t love a new wreath? Nothing says All-American Home like an inviting wreath on the front door. Here’s your chance…

Burlap Bubble Wreath TutorialNote: This same tutorial can be used to create a wreath for EVERY holiday this year!! It’s early in the year so you have plenty of time to perfect your wreath making skills and build your DIY confidence along the way. I made a similar wreath a couple of years back for fall and found great tutorials here, here and here!

Materials:

Scissors

At least 175 Large Head Pins

At least 1.5 yards of Burlap (Red)

Some Ribbon (or fabric in my case) to cover the wreath form (Pink)

Wreath Form (any kind, mine was about 3.99 @ Hobby Lobby)

Optional: Embellishment to put on the wreath

Note: I completed this project on a drop cloth because burlap tends to shed. When you’re simply shaking out your drop cloth after the project and not having to lug out your vacuum, think of me. =)

To get started, wrap your wreath form in fabric or ribbon. This step is not necessary but adds a pretty backing.

Cut the burlap in approximately 4 inch squares. The square part is far more important than the actual size.

Create one bubble at a time. Add the pin and stick onto the wreath form.

Once you pin all of your “bubbles” close together you will start to see the bubble look. There’s really no right or wrong way to pin.

I added this embellishment as eye candy, but I love it even more for eating up a lot of space that I don’t have to “bubble”.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat and before you know it (about an hour of bubbling later)…

…your Burlap Bubble Wreath is complete!

I added a fun Valentine’s Day ribbon to hang this lovely lady from our door and I wasn’t completely sold.

After a few minor changes & some extra ribbons, I was in l.o.v.e. Talk about a new DIY project that will make your heart melt!

Leave a Comment

4 thoughts on “Burlap Bubble Wreath Tutorial”

Good question, Jennifer. I actually don’t have a storm door either and the pins were not a problem at all! Just sticking them inside of the wreath form was good enough to keep that snug and protected from the elements.

4 thoughts on “Burlap Bubble Wreath Tutorial”

Good question, Jennifer. I actually don’t have a storm door either and the pins were not a problem at all! Just sticking them inside of the wreath form was good enough to keep that snug and protected from the elements.

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